Control system for roller-blinds or the like with swivel blades

Abstract

This control system for a roller-blind or the like comprising swivel blades coupled to a master blade carrying at one end a stud adapted, during its downward movement, to travel in a slide groove disposed behind a rocker and, during its upward movement, to engage both the slide groove, and the rocker, this control system comprises a microcomputer having stored in its non-volatile memory a control program of which the instruction groups are adapted to control the stud movements and the blind movement in relation to four predetermined stop points with respect to the rocker. The movements of the blind and of its stud are controlled as a function of the relative state of two switches of an auxiliary device rotatably coupled to the winding tube of the blind, as a function of the 1 or 0 state of a first register which assumes state 1 only when the stud is inside the rocker and also as a function of the 1 or 0 state of a second register which assumes state 1 only when the stud has overstepped at least once the first upper point after the last switching-on of the system, the first and second registers being incorporated in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Control system in combination with roller-blinds or like apparatus capable of rotating between an upper position and a lower position, said roller-blinds actuatable by means of an electric motor and reduction gear unit associated with an automatic stop motion adapted to stop the rotation of said unit when the roller-blind is in either of its two endmost upper and lower positions, said roller-blind comprising swivel blades kinematically connected to a master blade, said master blade comprising at least one end of a stud adapted to cooperate with a corresponding fixed rocker, each rocker comprising, for engagement by said stud, a downward inlet and an upward outlet interconnected by a hollow guide path substantially parallel to the slide grooves of said blind, said hollow guide path comprising a lower inclined extension diverging from said slide grooves and resilient lock means permitting the passage of said stud through said inlet only in the upward direction, said control system comprising, for each stud, a first lower stop point in said slide groove below said rocker inlet for temporarily stopping the downward movement of said stud, a first upper stop point in said hollow guide path below said rocker outlet for temporarily stopping the upward movement of said stud, a second lower stop point disposed substantially at the lower end of said lower inclined extension of said hollow guide path, said second lower stop point corresponding to a position of maximum orientation of said master blade, and a second upper stop point in said slide groove above said rocker outlet for temporarily stopping the upward movement of said stud subsequent to the exit of said stud from said hollow guide path in said rocker,   said control system further comprising auxiliary means including a pair of switches the operation of which is subordinated to the rotation of the roller-blind winding tube connected in turn kinematically to said motor and reduction gear unit, wherein the only function of said auxiliary means consists in detecting the position of said stud,   a first switch of said pair of switches assisting in stopping said motor and reduction gear unit when said stud is at its first upper stop point,   the second switch of said pair of switches assisting in stopping said motor and reduction gear unit when said roller-blind is in a predetermined lower or unfolded position corresponding for said stud to either said first lower stop point if said stud is in said slide groove or if said stud is in said inclined extension of said hollow tube guide to said second lower stop point, whereby said stud is liable to be in any one of three possible sections, namely a first section between one of said lower stop points and said first upper stop point, or a second section at said first upper stop point, or above said first upper stop point, or at one of said lower stop points, or a third section below said first lower stop points,   three relative states of said switches corresponding to said sections, respectively, so that a first switch is closed and the second switch is open, or the second switch is closed and the first switch is open, or both switches are in the same state, open or closed,   other control switches as well as said first and second switches of said auxiliary device being connected via input interfaces to the input terminals of a microcomputer having its output terminals connected to two output interfaces adapted to actuate said motor and reduction gear unit in both directions of rotation respectively,   the non-volatile memory of said microcomputer having stored therein a program for controlling said motor and reduction gear unit,   said program being adapted to determine which control switches have been actuated, check the validity of the orders issued by said switches and transmit said orders to said motor and reduction gear unit as a function of the relative state of said first pair of switches of said auxiliary device and/or as a function of the state 1 or 0 of a first register of said non-volatile memory of said microcomputer, said state 1 or 0 corresponding or not to a position of said stud in said rocker between said second lower stop point and said first upper stop point, said second upper stop point of said stud being determined as a function of a time-lag started by said control program, when said stud clears said first upper stop points towards said rocker outlet.   
     
     
       2. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control program comprises an instruction group for checking the state 1 of said first register which, when the switch controlling the downward or unfold movement of said roller-blind has been actuated, and in case the response to said check is a negative one as a consequence of a break-up in the mains supply, is adapted to cause a first group of instructions to be carried out for checking the state 1 of a second register which corresponds to the fact that said stud has already been located once at said first upper stop point or above said first upper stop point, since the system was energized so that no break-up took place in the mains supply since then, said first group of instructions being adapted, in case the response to said check is a negative one, as a consequence of a break-up in the mains supply, to cause another second group of instructions to be carried out for sequentially storing the roller-blind unfolding order in said memory, controlling the upward movement of said stud towards said first upper stop point start a time-lag when said stud clears said first upper stop point towards said second upper stop point, reversing the direction of rotation of said motor when said stud reaches said second upper stop point to permit the complete unrolling of said blind. 
     
     
       3. The control system of claim 2, wherein said control program comprises a third group of instructions for checking the relative state of said first pair of switches of said auxiliary device, said checking step being adapted, when a first switch of said pair of switches which controls the downward or unfolding movement of said roller-blind, is actuated, in case both of said pair of switches are in a predetermined relative state corresponding to the position of said stud between one of said lower stop points and said first upper stop point, for controlling the execution of a fourth group of instructions in order to check the state 0 or 1 of said first register and, if said first register is in state 1, control the execution of a fifth group of control instructions for sequentially memorizing the order for causing the downward or unfolding movement of said blind, controlling the upward or folding movement of said blind until said stud reaches said first upper stop point and then said second upper stop point, and then reversing the direction of rotation of said motor for unfolding said blind completely until said automatic stop motion stops said motor, and, if said first register is in its 0 state, control the execution of a further sixth group of instructions for controlling the downward movement and the complete unfolding of said blind, said third group of instructions for checking the relative state of said first pair of switches being such that, in case said first pair of switches are in a different relative state corresponding to another position of said stud, said sixth group of instructions for controlling the downward movement and the complete unfolding of said blind are carried out. 
     
     
       4. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control program comprises a first instruction group for checking, when two push-button switches are actuated simultaneously, the 0 or 1 state of said first register and, if said first register is in state 0 corresponding to a position of said stud outside said rocker, carry out a second group of instructions for checking the state of one of said pair of switches of said auxiliary device for controlling, when said one switch is in a first state corresponding to a position of said stud above said first lower stop point, a third group of instructions for causing the downward movement or unfolding of said blind until said stud reaches said first lower stop point, and then stopping the motor rotation and carrying out a fourth group of control instructions adapted to cause sequentially the upward movement of said stud up to said first upper stop point, reversing the direction of rotation of said motor and controlling the downward movement of said stud down to its second lower stop point, and eventually changing the state of said first register to 1, said second group of instructions for checking the state of one of said pair of switches of said auxiliary device being so established that when said one switch is in its second state corresponding to a position of said stud above said first lower stop point, it controls directly the execution of said group of control instructions.